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Why doesn't AutoPlay pop up anymore when I plug in a USB drive?
Why does AutoPlay stop working on my Windows 10 PC, so that plugging in a USB drive or SD card no longer brings up the "Choose what to do with this device" prompt? It used to show up every time, but now nothing happens, even though the drive appears in File Explorer and I can open it manually. I've already turned AutoPlay on in Settings, reset the defaults, and checked the "Use AutoPlay for all media and devices" box, but it still doesn't trigger.
Is this a known issue with a recent update, a registry setting that got changed, or something related to the specific device? And is there a way to make AutoPlay come back for all removable drives without reinstalling Windows?
1 Reply
Because the drive appears normally in File Explorer, Windows recognizes the device; the missing behavior is AutoPlay notification or action selection. You have enabled AutoPlay and reset defaults, so test whether the problem affects both a USB storage drive and an SD card. In Settings, confirm that Use AutoPlay for all media and devices remains enabled and choose a default action for Removable drive. Disconnect the device, restart the PC, then reconnect it directly to a different USB port rather than through a hub. If it works for one device type only, its media type or driver is relevant; if it fails for all types, compare the result in a local user account. That separates a profile-level setting from a system-wide issue. Avoid registry fixes from unverified posts. Capture the Windows version, device type, and test-account result before escalating, because the symptom alone does not establish an update-related cause.
